Rabbi

Rabbi Lenny Sarko joined Congregation Achduth Vesholom in July 2016 after serving for five years as spiritual leader at Temple Beth David, a Reform congregation in Spring Hill, Florida.

A native of Detroit, Rabbi Lenny, as he prefers to be called, was ordained in July 2009 by the Rabbinical Seminary International in New York City. Following ordination, he served as lead rabbi for the Little Minyan and Congregation Am Brit, both in Columbus, Ohio. He also has provided services for Jewish inmates in correctional institutions. For more than 30 years, Rabbi Lenny has taught Jewish Studies and developed many educational programs for Jewish communities of all ages across the country.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Michigan State University, a Master’s Degree in Judaic Studies from Siegal College in Cleveland, and a Master’s Degree in Education from The Ohio State University. During his graduate studies, he specialized in Adult Education and Distance Education.

A pioneer in the use of modern media as a tool for Judaic education, he designed a set of 54 interactive learning CDs for Bar/Bat Mitzvah studies and has utilized video conferencing for teaching Hebrew, Jewish Texts, and a variety of seminars. He also is author of a series of short stories titled Modern Midrashim. At his most recent congregation, Shabbat services were available through video-conferencing for those unable to attend in person.

In addition to his rabbinic knowledge, Rabbi Lenny brings a variety of business experience, including having owned and operated an Internet company and worked in the industrial demolition field. He also holds a U.S. patent for the inorganic recycling process and previously served as president of a national hazardous materials management accreditation organization.

He and his wife, Karen, have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Rabbi Emeritus Richard B. Safran was raised in New York, where he majored in Intellectual History at Brooklyn College. After working as a chaplain’s assistant in the Air Force, he was ordained at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.

He served a Reform congregation in Steubenville, Ohio, before coming to Fort Wayne in 1969. He became Rabbi Emeritus in 1995.